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EducationGunce ArkanAyla’s BooksGunce ArkanIt was Ayla’s 3rd birthday party and she wasn’thappy. Ayla had a big cake; her friends had manyparty favors. Yet, Ayla and her friends spent mostof the day running around in chaos. Mommy anddaddy thought there must be a better way to celebratethis important day. “You know how it is in theUS” says Günce Arkan, Ayla’s mother, “There are alot of expenses that go into throwing a kid’s birthdayparty and the kids don’t even enjoy it.” For herAyla says thank you!next birthday, instead of a big party, Ayla wantedbooks, not just for herself but for the thousands ofgirls in Turkey whose parents couldn’t afford them.That’s how Ayla’s Books, a campaign which raisedmore than $21,000 in less than 30 days was born.The biggest misconception about giving is thatyou have to have your own money, says Ms. Arkan,who used Facebook and Twitter to mobilize familyand friends to donate for new, colorful books,with fun and educational stories for girls Ayla’sage. Ayla’s Books reached its fundraising goalthrough the contribution of more than a hundredfriends, with an average donation of $25 -$100.Ms. Arkan relays Ayla’s love for books to her ownupbringing, “we couldn’t always buy whatever wewanted, but books were always in the budget.”“If I can do it, anybody can!” adds Ms. Arkan,with enthusiasm, who didn’t want to start her owncharity. That would require a lot of her time andshe would have to deal with bureaucracy. Instead,she chose to work with Turkish PhilanthropyFunds. It took a day for Ms. Arkan to set up a website for the campaign, and the rest was taken careof by TPF. “TPF was fabulous and was with meevery step of the way” says Ms. Arkan. TPF providedtax-deductions for the donations and identifiedthe right partner in Turkey who could deliver forMs. Arkan’s mission.The Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV),a long-time TPF grantee partner, is using the fundsto establish a mobile library of children’s booksbetween the ages of five and eight. Thanks toAyla’s Books, in the fall of 2013, 3,600 girls willparticipate in reading days organized in sevencities including Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Diyarbakır,İstanbul, İzmir and Van. Their books will featurestories about democracy, fairness, healthy eating,excess consumption, and the rights of animals.Ms. Arkan’s vision is to run these birthday campaignsfor Ayla every year until she is old enoughto take over and fundraise herself. “It will be anAyla loves her books!incredibly valuable life lesson for her” says Ms.Arkan. What’s her advice for you? “Find a causethat you really care about. Be consistent with yourmessage and let TPF take care of the rest.”Günce Arkan supports MotherChild Education Foundation (AÇEV)Founded in 1993, the Mother Child EducationFoundation (AÇEV) has been carrying out earlychildhood education activities for low-incomefamilies to achieve equality in educational opportunity.AÇEV recently launched a new campaign topromote fatherhood in Turkey. “You are my father”aims to raise awareness on the importance offathers in a child’s life and to encourage responsibilityin a child’s development and in the family.8 9